Congress Reopens Government, Bill Includes Language to Close Hemp Loophole

On Nov. 12, 2025, President Trump signed a government funding bill to officially end the longest shutdown in history after 43 days.

The House voted 222 to 209, with six Democrats voting for the bill and two Republicans opposing the package to pass the bill. The Senate voted 60 to 40 on Nov. 10, 2025, with seven Democrats and Independent Angus King (Maine) voting "yes" and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) voting "no."

The bill funds military construction, the legislative branch, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through Sept. 30, 2026. A continuing resolution (CR) funds the rest of the government through Jan. 30, 2026.

The Agriculture/FDA portion of the bill restores full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the rest of fiscal 2026, closes the “hemp loophole” and contains language on the Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Traceability Rule. The traceability language directs the FDA to submit a report to Congress outlining how they are supporting industry in implementing the rule through technical assistance and other means. According to the Senate summary, the hemp language “prevents the unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products, including Delta-8, from being sold online, in gas stations, and corner stores, while preserving non-intoxicating CBD and industrial hemp products.” Read more here.